Pain following abdominal surgery is managed with the use of thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) where the epidural is inserted in the spine at the level of scapula The risks due to TEA include difficulty with insertion, failure in up to 40% of patient in the perioperative period, fall in blood pressure and a rare devastating complication of paralysis either due to bleeding or infection. Injury to spinal cord is also a feared complication. Therefore alternative techniques need to be evaluated. Paravertebral block (PVB) has been documented to provide pain relief following abdominal surgery using an earlier technique which posed the risk of puncture of the covering to the lung (pleura) resulting in pneumothorax. The current technique involves the use of curled catheters inserted using ultrasonography to lie outside the pleura where the nerves travel thus reducing the chances of pneumothorax and catheter migration. Objective of the current study is to compare the efficacy and safety of bilateral PVB with TEA. Patients undergoing bowel surgery will be randomized to receive thoracic epidural analgesia or bilateral thoracic paravertebral blocks. Pain scores during rest and coughing, failure and complication rates will be compared between the two groups.